US Open

[Sir David Gray]

We're now into day three of the US Open from New York.

Andy Murray played his first round match against Latvian Ernests Gulbis in the early hours of this morning (UK time). He won 7-5 6-3 7-5.

He will now play the Chilean Paul Capdeville in round two. They have never met before but Murray knows him from his time at the Sanchez-Casal academy in Barcelona.

Rafael Nadal was in first round action earlier this evening and he beat Richard Gasquet (who is just returning after a drugs ban) 6-2 6-2 6-3.

Roger Federer is playing his second round match at midnight against the German Simon Greul.

A few big names have already fallen in the women's draw.

Former world number one, Ana Ivanovic, is out, as is Agnieszka Radwanska, Marion Bartoli and Amelie Mauresmo.

Top seed Dinara Safina had a massive scare against Australian wildcard Olivia Rogowska.

Rogowska took the first set 7-6 but Safina levelled things up by winning the second set 6-2. Rogowska went 3-0 up in the decider and was two points away from a 4-0 lead before Safina came back to win six out of the next seven games and eventually came through it 6-7 6-2 6-4.

Safina had 48 unforced errors during the match and 11 double faults.

[Randerson_4]

Murray plays Capdeville on Friday

Wawrinka and Karlovic, 2 potential tricky opponents in the next couple of rounds, are out also

[Sir David Gray]

Murray plays Capdeville on Friday

Wawrinka and Karlovic, 2 potential tricky opponents in the next couple of rounds, are out also

It's quite strange how the scheduling's been worked out.

At Wimbledon it's;

1st Monday/Tuesday-1st round (men and women)
1st Wednesday/Thursday-2nd round (men and women)
1st Friday/Saturday-3rd round (men and women)
Middle Sunday-No play
2nd Monday-Last 16 (men and women)
2nd Tuesday-Women's quarter finals
2nd Wednesday-Men's quarter finals
2nd Thursday-Women's semi finals
2nd Friday-Men's semi finals
2nd Saturday-Women's final
2nd Sunday-Men's final

It's all very logical. However in the US Open this year, Nadal didn't play his first round match until yesterday (the same day that Federer played his second round match) and Murray played his first round on Tuesday night and then doesn't play again until Friday. :confused:

Which means that if he's going to go all the way, he'll have to play six matches in ten days. That's quite a lot of tennis.

Anyway, it is good news that Wawrinka is out. I'm sure Murray would have beaten Karlovic but Wawrinka was certainly a potential banana skin for him.

If he beats Capdeville, he then plays either Taylor Dent or Ivan Navarro in round three, neither of them will cause him too many problems.

At the last 16 stage, the only player that may have the ability to test him is Marin Cilic but Murray has a 3-0 record against him.

It's starts to get harder from the quarter final stage but I do believe that the US Open is Murray's best shot at winning a Major.

I still can't see past Federer, though.

[Hibbie_Cameron]

I sat up and watched Murray's match the other morning. Very good performance. Must say thats twice i have seen Gulbis and although Murray has gubbed him twice, i still find myself thinking that if he had a decent coach and put in that extra bit of effort he could be a pretty decent player

[Sir David Gray]

I sat up and watched Murray's match the other morning. Very good performance. Must say thats twice i have seen Gulbis and although Murray has gubbed him twice, i still find myself thinking that if he had a decent coach and put in that extra bit of effort he could be a pretty decent player

I didn't see any of the match against Gulbis but I have heard that it was a good performance, even although two of the sets were very close.

A year ago Gulbis was inside the top 40 and got to the quarter finals of the French Open but he has dropped dramatically down the rankings in recent times and now finds himself just inside the top 100.

I saw his match with Murray at Wimbledon this year and Murray just took him to the cleaners.

[J-C]

Murray's back on around 6-7ish this evening, hasn't been serving very well but still looking impressive.

[Sir David Gray]

Murray's back on around 6-7ish this evening, hasn't been serving very well but still looking impressive.

He's on after Serena Williams and she starts at 6pm UK time, so if she has a quick match, Murray should be on maybe around 7:30pm, or something like that.

[Sir David Gray]

Andy Murray is through to round three after a fairly shaky win over Paul Capdeville.

Murray comfortably won the first set 6-2. However back came Capdeville and he levelled it up by taking the second set 6-3. That was to be as good as got for Capdeville, though as Murray raced through the third set 6-0 and then took the fourth set 6-2.

He will now play the American Taylor Dent. The match will take place at approximately 02:00 on Monday, UK time. :grr:

It wasn't easy going for Rafael Nadal, either. He won the first set 6-0, against Nicolas Kiefer. However the German took the second set 6-3. Nadal's class eventually told, though as he won the next two sets 6-3 6-4.

Roger Federer dropped the first set to Lleyton Hewitt today but then stepped up his game and won the next 3 sets to win it 4-6 6-3 7-5 6-4.

He is into the last 16 and will play the winner of James Blake and Tommy Robredo.

Novak Djokovic had a massive scare against world number 276 Jesse Witten. The American took the first set on a tie-break but Djokovic levelled it up by winning the second set 6-3. However Witten had his chances in the third set as it went to another tie-break. This time, however, Djokovic won it and went 2-1 ahead. Djokovic managed to see it through in set four and finally sealed a spot in the last 16.

Andy Roddick looks as if he will become the highest men's seed to fall so far. He is currently 7-6 6-3 3-4 down to fellow American, John Isner.

The draw for the last 16 is as follows;

Federer v Blake/Robredo
Soderling v Davydenko
Djokovic v Stepanek
Verdasco v Isner/Roddick
Tsonga/Benneteau v Berdych/Gonzalez
Monfils/Acasuso v Almagro/Nadal
Del Potro/Koellerer v Ferrero/Simon
Cilic/Istomin v Dent/Murray

[Hibbie_Cameron]

Clijsters gave one of the Williams sisters a drubbing earlier i was told. What a fantastic advert for sportswomen, that she chose to leave the game to have a child and has come back so well. Not something you see to often

[NaeTechnoHibby]

Clijsters gave one of the Williams sisters a drubbing earlier i was told. What a fantastic advert for sportswomen, that she chose to leave the game to have a child and has come back so well. Not something you see to often

I remember Yvonne Goolagong (then married and I cannae rember her married name.. maybae Caulay?) coming back to win Wimbledon in the 70's :agree:

[CallumLaidlaw]

watched Murray against Dent this morning, and at 2-2 in the first set, it looked like Murray may have a game on his hands, but he ended up walking it comfortably 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.
Murrays return of serve was awesome. His own 1st serve in was less than 50% in the 1st set, but upped it to about 80% in the second. that is where he needs to be to win the tournie.
I am a bit worried about Murray having to beat Del Potro, Nadal and Fed to win it, so would like to see 1 of those 3 fall before meeting murray.
Murray has Cilic next, which will be tomorrow night I think.

[Andy74]

I watched some of the Safina match the other day. Amazing that the world number one can sport a beer belly bigger than mine, and can lose to someone with a beer belly bigger than my Dad's.

[CallumLaidlaw]

I watched some of the Safina match the other day. Amazing that the world number one can sport a beer belly bigger than mine, and can lose to someone with a beer belly bigger than my Dad's.

I was highly impressed by Clijsters last night against Williams last night. She looks sharp, and has a determination about her.

[Sir David Gray]

watched Murray against Dent this morning, and at 2-2 in the first set, it looked like Murray may have a game on his hands, but he ended up walking it comfortably 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.
Murrays return of serve was awesome. His own 1st serve in was less than 50% in the 1st set, but upped it to about 80% in the second. that is where he needs to be to win the tournie.
I am a bit worried about Murray having to beat Del Potro, Nadal and Fed to win it, so would like to see 1 of those 3 fall before meeting murray.
Murray has Cilic next, which will be tomorrow night I think.

I didn't see Murray's match, yet again, but it is good that he had a relatively short match that was also played at night (although that's not too good for UK viewers).

Having looked at the match stats, it seems that his serve is the one big let down in his game. He got just 47% of his first serves in last night and that will have to be higher against the likes of Federer and Nadal if he is to win the tournament.

He should beat Cilic tomorrow. He has played him three times before and has beaten him every time. The match should be on around 19:30 UK time, which is far better for us but not so great for Murray as it is around the hottest part of the day.

I think that if he's not already out by the semi finals, Nadal might be beatable. He had to get the trainer on yesterday as he was suffering from a stomach muscle problem. It will be interesting to see how that goes.

The last 16 draw is now;

Roger Federer v Tommy Robredo
Robin Soderling v Nikolay Davydenko
Novak Djokovic v Radek Stepanek
Fernando Verdasco v John Isner
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga v Fernando Gonzalez
Gael Monfils v Rafael Nadal
Juan Martin Del Potro v Juan Carlos Ferrero
Marin Cilic v Andy Murray

Soderling is the first man through to the quarter finals after Davydenko retired when he was two sets to one down.

My tip for what the quarter final draw will be is;

Federer v Soderling
Djokovic v Verdasco
Gonzalez v Nadal
Del Potro v Murray

I saw the final two sets of the Clijsters v Venus Williams match last night and it was some match. I always liked Clijsters before she retired and I'm glad she's back. I gather that she was amazing in the first set but Venus being the competitor that she is, was never going to take kindly to being beaten 6-0 in a set and she was brilliant in the second set. It was an excellent final set and I was glad for Clijsters that she was able to come through in the end.

I think she will now go on to meet Serena Williams in the semi finals and I think the winner of that match will go on to win the tournament.

[CallumLaidlaw]

I didn't see Murray's match, yet again, but it is good that he had a relatively short match that was also played at night (although that's not too good for UK viewers).

Having looked at the match stats, it seems that his serve is the one big let down in his game. He got just 47% of his first serves in last night and that will have to be higher against the likes of Federer and Nadal if he is to win the tournament.

He should beat Cilic tomorrow. He has played him three times before and has beaten him every time. The match should be on around 19:30 UK time, which is far better for us but not so great for Murray as it is around the hottest part of the day.

I think that if he's not already out by the semi finals, Nadal might be beatable. He had to get the trainer on yesterday as he was suffering from a stomach muscle problem. It will be interesting to see how that goes.

The last 16 draw is now;

Roger Federer v Tommy Robredo
Robin Soderling v Nikolay Davydenko
Novak Djokovic v Radek Stepanek
Fernando Verdasco v John Isner
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga v Fernando Gonzalez
Gael Monfils v Rafael Nadal
Juan Martin Del Potro v Juan Carlos Ferrero
Marin Cilic v Andy Murray

Soderling is the first man through to the quarter finals after Davydenko retired when he was two sets to one down.

My tip for what the quarter final draw will be is;

Federer v Soderling
Djokovic v Verdasco
Gonzalez v Nadal
Del Potro v Murray

I saw the final two sets of the Clijsters v Venus Williams match last night and it was some match. I always liked Clijsters before she retired and I'm glad she's back. I gather that she was amazing in the first set but Venus being the competitor that she is, was never going to take kindly to being beaten 6-0 in a set and she was brilliant in the second set. It was an excellent final set and I was glad for Clijsters that she was able to come through in the end.

I think she will now go on to meet Serena Williams in the semi finals and I think the winner of that match will go on to win the tournament.

The only one I would change from you is Tsonga instead of Gonzalez.

Del Potro will be a HUGE challenge for murray. He has had a good summer, and is playing brilliantly so far in New York.

Hopefully Monfils can give Nadal a game. Considering he's still recovering from his knee injury, and looked in a lot of pain with his stomach yesterday, he is far from 100%

[Sir David Gray]

The only one I would change from you is Tsonga instead of Gonzalez.

Del Potro will be a HUGE challenge for murray. He has had a good summer, and is playing brilliantly so far in New York.

Hopefully Monfils can give Nadal a game. Considering he's still recovering from his knee injury, and looked in a lot of pain with his stomach yesterday, he is far from 100%

The Tsonga/Gonzalez match was the only one that I was in two minds about.

They have never met before so there's not really any previous form to go on. I just think that if Gonzalez's forehand is firing on all cylinders, he has a great chance of beating Tsonga as it is a massive shot that he has.

Tsonga also has a tendency to be quite erratic, you never know what he is going to produce from one match to the next.

I know it's an old cliche but I think this match really could go either way and I would personally tip Gonzalez to win that one, although if Tsonga is in the mood, he is more than capable of winning.

I'll go for Gonzalez in five sets.

Del Potro WOULD be a big test for Murray but I think Murray's fitness levels should see him through, if they have to go the distance. He will need to improve his serving stats, though. Ideally his first serve percentage should be in the mid-high 60's.

[Sir David Gray]

Three out of three so far. :thumbsup:

Federer had no trouble with Robredo, Djokovic hammered Stepanek and Verdasco beat Isner, although he did lose the first set.

All I need now is for Nadal, Murray, Del Potro and Gonzalez to come through for me and it'll be a clean sweep! :pray:

[JimBHibees]

Three out of three so far. :thumbsup:

Federer had no trouble with Robredo, Djokovic hammered Stepanek and Verdasco beat Isner, although he did lose the first set.

All I need now is for Nadal, Murray, Del Potro and Gonzalez to come through for me and it'll be a clean sweep! :pray:

I would go for Monfils and Tsonga.

[Sir David Gray]

I would go for Monfils and Tsonga.

They are the two that are causing me most concern. Nadal, under normal circumstances, would have no bother in seeing off Monfils but as we have already been saying, he isn't 100% fit and if his stomach is still causing him problems, Monfils may have a chance.

And, as I said yesterday, Tsonga/Gonzalez really could go either way, I'm just going to go for Gonzalez on this occasion.

I don't think Del Potro should have any problem with beating Ferrero and I can't see Cilic beating Murray.

[JimBHibees]

They are the two that are causing me most concern. Nadal, under normal circumstances, would have no bother in seeing off Monfils but as we have already been saying, he isn't 100% fit and if his stomach is still causing him problems, Monfils may have a chance.

And, as I said yesterday, Tsonga/Gonzalez really could go either way, I'm just going to go for Gonzalez on this occasion.

I don't think Del Potro should have any problem with beating Ferrero and I can't see Cilic beating Murray.

Agree in saying that Nadal will probably battle through as Monfils is a little inconsistent also. Gonzo has an amazing forehand and as you say probably a toss-up between the 2.

[CallumLaidlaw]

well it gets REALLY interesting from tonight

Clijsters is about to beat Li Na in straight sets, then Its
Murray-time :thumbsup:

He's arrived with his wrist strapped apparently. Hopefully its not a major problem

[CallumLaidlaw]

Murray's 1st serve not great again today at 52%. He has won 79% of his 1st serve points, and 77% of his 2nd serve points (he actually got a 2nd serve ace)
Currently 5-5 in 1st set

[PC Stamp]

Looks like he's toiling big time here. Two breaks down in set 2 having lost the first 7-5.

[CallumLaidlaw]

Looks like he's toiling big time here. Two breaks down in set 2 having lost the first 7-5.

aye, 5-1 down now. cant see him winning 5 in a row here. He looks quite lethargic, and it does seem as if something is wrong with his wrist

[Sir David Gray]

Well I certainly didn't see this coming. :boo hoo:

There MUST be something up with him as he is not playing well at all, it's the worst I've seen him for quite some time.

He's just lost his serve in the first game of the third set. It looks as if it's all over, I'm afraid. :boo hoo:

[CallumLaidlaw]

Well I certainly didn't see this coming. :boo hoo:

There MUST be something up with him as he is not playing well at all, it's the worst I've seen him for quite some time.

He's just lost his serve in the first game of the third set. It looks as if it's all over, I'm afraid. :boo hoo:

amazingly, in that 2nd set, his 1st serve was at 81%, while Cilic's was 31%, and cilic won it 6-2!!!!!
He's gonna lose this in 3. He just isnt coming to life at all. He plays a good shot, and you think "this is it", then he sticks the next one in the net. :grr:
You can tell he's a hibby :wink:

[PC Stamp]

He doesn't look like a world number 200 far less number 2 at the moment. Definitely something wrong. No way can he be so consistently bad in a match.

[Sir David Gray]

amazingly, in that 2nd set, his 1st serve was at 81%, while Cilic's was 31%, and cilic won it 6-2!!!!!
He's gonna lose this in 3. He just isnt coming to life at all. He plays a good shot, and you think "this is it", then he sticks the next one in the net. :grr:
You can tell he's a hibby :wink:

Yeah, I noticed that.

His biggest problem is that he's not being aggressive enough. He's standing at the back of the court all the time, waiting for Cilic to make the mistakes, instead of him taking control of the rallies and dominating the play.

[CallumLaidlaw]

Yeah, I noticed that.

His biggest problem is that he's not being aggressive enough. He's standing at the back of the court all the time, waiting for Cilic to make the mistakes, instead of him taking control of the rallies and dominating the play.

yeah, thats fine against players outside the top 40 as they will make mistakes if you keep putting it back to them, but he needs to be more attacking. The problem is, the couple of times he has come in to the net, Cilic has read him like a book

[Sir David Gray]

yeah, thats fine against players outside the top 40 as they will make mistakes if you keep putting it back to them, but he needs to be more attacking. The problem is, the couple of times he has come in to the net, Cilic has read him like a book

:agree: Murray's style of play will work against the good players and below, as they don't have the temperament or the stamina to keep up with him but against the very best, i.e. those in the top 20, he really needs to be more attacking.

He is capable of playing attacking tennis but for some reason, he often chooses not to play like that.

[CallumLaidlaw]

oh dear. 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 :boo hoo:

[Sir David Gray]

Shocking performance by Murray.

If there wasn't anything wrong with him, he should be embarrassed by the way he played today.

[rainman]

Shocking performance by Murray.

If there wasn't anything wrong with him, he should be embarrassed by the way he played today.

Dress him up like Mrs Doubtfire and he's the new Colin Montgomery! :agree:

[CallumLaidlaw]

Dress him up like Mrs Doubtfire and he's the new Colin Montgomery! :agree:

I think thats a little harsh. Murray has been working his way up the rankings and just last month reached number 2. he has been a pro for 4 years. Federer had been a pro for 4 years before he won his first slam.
Monty has been around for 20 years.
I still believe Murray will win a slam, he just needs to learn from last night.

[J-C]

Said he felt very sluggish and listless, also his left wrist was very sore hampering his back hand. He couldn't explain it and will take a while to recover from this defeat, looks like it may just have been a one off, he is human after all.

[Andy74]

Said he felt very sluggish and listless, also his left wrist was very sore hampering his back hand. He couldn't explain it and will take a while to recover from this defeat, looks like it may just have been a one off, he is human after all.

Obviously this was a bit more extreme than some of his other defeats but as Rusedski said last night it's no longer just one offs now, he is producing some poor performances in the majors on the back of better ones and he needs to address that before he can win one.

[JimBHibees]

Obviously this was a bit more extreme than some of his other defeats but as Rusedski said last night it's no longer just one offs now, he is producing some poor performances in the majors on the back of better ones and he needs to address that before he can win one.

Personally thought Rusedski was talking a crock to be honest. Thought Murray looked out of sorts physically last night and would be amazed if he was well. It was an appalling performance no doubt however think there were reasons. Rusedski was overplaying his major record this season, Verdasco beat him in Aus and was playing the tennis of his life and should have beaten Nadal. Murray done ok in France on the clay which didnt suit him and also did well at Wimbers slightly unlucky to be beat in semi by Roddick who was unlucky not to win it. For Rusedski to make out he was a choker or that his game was too passive was nonsense IMO and a bit out of order.

[J-C]

Personally thought Rusedski was talking a crock to be honest. Thought Murray looked out of sorts physically last night and would be amazed if he was well. It was an appalling performance no doubt however think there were reasons. Rusedski was overplaying his major record this season, Verdasco beat him in Aus and was playing the tennis of his life and should have beaten Nadal. Murray done ok in France on the clay which didnt suit him and also did well at Wimbers slightly unlucky to be beat in semi by Roddick who was unlucky not to win it. For Rusedski to make out he was a choker or that his game was too passive was nonsense IMO and a bit out of order.


I must admit Murray does frustrate me a lot of the time because of him playing the percentage shots into the corners instead of being a bit more aggresive in his shot choice.

[Sir David Gray]

Roger Federer is into the semi finals after a four set victory over Robin Soderling. Federer won the first two sets by losing just three games (6-0 6-3) but Soderling began to put up more of a fight in third set and eventually won it on a tie-break. The fourth set was just as tight, going to another tie-break, but this time Federer took it to set up a last four meeting with Novak Djokovic who also won in four sets, against Fernando Verdasco.

It is Federer's 22nd consecutive appearance in a Grand Slam semi final, which is a run that dates back to Wimbledon 2004. It is, quite simply, an amazing statistic and a phenomenal achievement by the great man.

For him to have been so consistent over the past five years proves just how brilliant he really is.

PS-The only prediction I got wrong for the quarter finals was Mr Murray. :grr:

Nadal beat Monfils, despite losing the first set and Gonzo beat Tsonga.

Six out of seven is pretty good. :thumbsup:

[Sir David Gray]

Roger Federer and Juan Martin Del Potro will be in tonight's US Open final.

Whilst they both won in straight sets, it was in very different circumstances. Federer defeated Novak Djokovic in a closely fought match, 7-6 7-5 7-5.

Did anyone see the shot that Federer produced to bring up match point? To call it "shot of the year" probably doesn't do it justice. :drool:

It's one of the greatest shots you will ever see and if you haven't seen it already then here it is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRo72MUUZnE

I've ran out of superlatives to describe this man, he's just incredible.

Meanwhile Del Potro had a surprisingly easy victory over Rafael Nadal 6-2 6-2 6-2. He will now appear in his first ever Grand Slam final.

A big well done to Kim Clijsters. She became the first mother since 1980 to win a Grand Slam after she beat Caroline Wozniacki 7-5 6-3.

[shamo9]

Roger Federer and Juan Martin Del Potro will be in tonight's US Open final.

Whilst they both won in straight sets, it was in very different circumstances. Federer defeated Novak Djokovic in a closely fought match, 7-6 7-5 7-5.

Did anyone see the shot that Federer produced to bring up match point? To call it "shot of the year" probably doesn't do it justice. :drool:

It's one of the greatest shots you will ever see and if you haven't seen it already then here it is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRo72MUUZnE

I've ran out of superlatives to describe this man, he's just incredible.

Meanwhile Del Potro had a surprisingly easy victory over Rafael Nadal 6-2 6-2 6-2. He will now appear in his first ever Grand Slam final.

A big well done to Kim Clijsters. She became the first mother since 1980 to win a Grand Slam after she beat Caroline Wozniacki 7-5 6-3.

Does it actually have a name? I heard one of the commentators call it a hotdog or something:confused:

[Sir David Gray]

Does it actually have a name? I heard one of the commentators call it a hotdog or something:confused:

Yep, it's called a hotdog.

Not too sure why, though. :confused:

[shamo9]

Yep, it's called a hotdog.

Not too sure why, though. :confused:

Looks like your boy was finally mastered by a paper cup - I blame the kids:wink:

[cleanyman]

I must say, when i left it Federer was outstanding, how did that happen?

Credit to Del Porto however as from what ive been reading he was fantastic from the 2nd set onwards and congratulations to him on his first grand slam victory at the young age of 20. Nothing better than winning your first grand slam and beating the greatest player ever. Good luck to him in the rest of his career and he'll be one to watch.
Some very heartwarming words from both Del Potro and Federer after the match.
Im a big Federer fan and im disappointed he lost but getting to all 4 Grand Slam finals and winning 2 proves that hes had yet another fantastic year. The hat-trick would have been the icing on the cake. Federer although only 28 is rather old in tennis terms and more defeats will follow as more and more younger players want to take his scalp.
I have no doubt Federer will be back winning things like hes always done but this might just be the changing of the guard.

[Sir David Gray]

I'm gutted with the result last night.

Not only because I'm a massive Federer fan but also because I really can't take to Del Potro.

Don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic achievement to win his first Grand Slam at 20 years of age and also to beat Nadal and Federer back-to-back in the semis and final takes some doing but there's just something about him that I don't particularly like.

I thought Federer was going to breeze through the match after the first set and a half but credit to Del Potro, he kept at it and eventually got his rewards.

Andy Murray must be very careful about how he goes about things now. He has now gone back down to 3rd in the rankings, after Nadal moved back into 2nd spot, and not only will Djokovic be looking to overtake him but Del Potro must now also be viewed as a very serious challenger at the summit of the men's game.

[cleanyman]

I'm gutted with the result last night.

Not only because I'm a massive Federer fan but also because I really can't take to Del Potro.

Don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic achievement to win his first Grand Slam at 20 years of age and also to beat Nadal and Federer back-to-back in the semis and final takes some doing but there's just something about him that I don't particularly like.

I thought Federer was going to breeze through the match after the first set and a half but credit to Del Potro, he kept at it and eventually got his rewards.

Andy Murray must be very careful about how he goes about things now. He has now gone back down to 3rd in the rankings, after Nadal moved back into 2nd spot, and not only will Djokovic be looking to overtake him but Del Potro must now also be viewed as a very serious challenger at the summit of the men's game.

Lies!:greengrin Just to let everyone know i was the massive Fed fan first before FH started copying me.
Andy Murray must be very careful, hes the only man in the top 6 not to win a Grand Slam. Del Potro has been a threat for the past year and hes got what deserved last night. I just dont see Murray winning a Grand Slam at all.
As for Federer big yin i wouldnt be that disappointed. Two Grand Slams in the bag, 4 finals. A superb year, bring on the Aussie Open!

[Sylar]

Federer showed a glimmer of his old problems as a youth last night, with a temper tantrum directed at the umpire, following a controversial line call. He barked "don't ******ing quote me the rules - If I want to talk, I'll ******ing talk to you - it's s*** that such an obvious mistake can't be challenged - ******ing rediculous".

Following the outburst of Serena Williams the other day, I'm surprised this isn't being made a bigger issue to be honest.

Don't get me wrong, I've got a lot of time for Federer and his application of sportsmanship to the game, and this was highly out of character for him, but nonetheless, has gone pretty much unmentioned.

I'm in the same boat as FalkirkHibee - I don't like Del Potro - he's a poor sportsman (ala Djokovic) - his bitchy refusal to have a point given against him because a cup was dropped was pathetic. I also recall a match a year or so ago against Andy Murray, where he started ranting and raving about Murray's mother!

[Speedy]

Federer showed a glimmer of his old problems as a youth last night, with a temper tantrum directed at the umpire, following a controversial line call. He barked "don't ******ing quote me the rules - If I want to talk, I'll ******ing talk to you - it's s*** that such an obvious mistake can't be challenged - ******ing rediculous".

Following the outburst of Serena Williams the other day, I'm surprised this isn't being made a bigger issue to be honest.

Don't get me wrong, I've got a lot of time for Federer and his application of sportsmanship to the game, and this was highly out of character for him, but nonetheless, has gone pretty much unmentioned.

I'm in the same boat as FalkirkHibee - I don't like Del Potro - he's a poor sportsman (ala Djokovic) - his bitchy refusal to have a point given against him because a cup was dropped was pathetic. I also recall a match a year or so ago against Andy Murray, where he started ranting and raving about Murray's mother!

There's quite a lot of moaning to officials in tennis, doesn't get mentioned as much as football though

[Sir David Gray]

Federer showed a glimmer of his old problems as a youth last night, with a temper tantrum directed at the umpire, following a controversial line call. He barked "don't ******ing quote me the rules - If I want to talk, I'll ******ing talk to you - it's s*** that such an obvious mistake can't be challenged - ******ing rediculous".

Following the outburst of Serena Williams the other day, I'm surprised this isn't being made a bigger issue to be honest.

Don't get me wrong, I've got a lot of time for Federer and his application of sportsmanship to the game, and this was highly out of character for him, but nonetheless, has gone pretty much unmentioned.

I'm in the same boat as FalkirkHibee - I don't like Del Potro - he's a poor sportsman (ala Djokovic) - his bitchy refusal to have a point given against him because a cup was dropped was pathetic. I also recall a match a year or so ago against Andy Murray, where he started ranting and raving about Murray's mother!

Federer was right in what he was saying though, but he probably did go about it in the wrong manner. Del Potro was taking ages before deciding whether or not he was going to use a challenge. He was looking up at his coach and asking the umpire etc. then making a decision. The challenge is supposed to be made pretty much instantly.

As you rightly say though, his outburst was completely out of character and it's probably the first time that I've ever heard Federer use language like that.

I have to disagree with your comparison of Del Potro and Djokovic, though. I think Novak Djokovic is a fantastic sportsman who also has an excellent attitude. He is the ONLY current male player that I see constantly applauding good shots by his opponent and, on most occasions after he has been beaten, he is very gracious in defeat when the two players shake hands and embrace at the net.

He is also a really fun character. I meant to post this a few days ago but did anyone see Djokovic's impersonation of John McEnroe after one of his matches last week (shouting at an imaginary umpire, smashing his racket and shouting 'you cannot be serious'!)? McEnroe must have been doing commentary work for US TV at the time because he then came down on to the court and then did an impersonation of Djokovic (bouncing the ball about 40 times before serving). They then played out a couple of points.

It was hilarious. :faf:

If you haven't seen it then I highly recommend that you take a look at this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8gbgse0WsY).

I would probably say Djokovic is up there with Murray and Federer as my favourite players.

I like the guy a lot.